Work Together
MEDICAL UPDATE
As promised, I’m bringing new voices to our ongoing conversation about the pandemic and reopening. My friend Dr. Wayne Frederick, physician and President of Howard University, generously offered to be a guest writer today. His son Wayne and my son George have been dear friends for many years.
Dr. Frederick shares here an update on how one of DC’s most esteemed universities is assisting with the pandemic and how he envisions reopening for its students. I’m grateful for his words here today and his commitment to higher education, the city of Washington, DC, and to the health and safety of our citizens—particularly its most vulnerable. As we currently face some of the most egregious examples of racism in this country right now, Dr. Frederick reminds us of our common goal: the health, wellbeing, and fair treatment of ALL human beings.
It is with great pride and honor that I present to you this letter from President Frederick:
Leading in Higher Education During a Global Pandemic
As a university president, practicing surgical oncologist, husband and father, I wear a lot of hats and juggle a lot of roles on any given day. Today I'm glad to reach out to the readers of my friend Lucy McBride whose mission is educating a broad population about COVID-19—and whose son and mine are likely playing X-box together at this very moment.
Serving as the 17th president of my alma mater, Howard University, is one of the greatest responsibilities of my life because I get to give back daily to the institution that has meant so much and helped me to become the person I am today. It can be challenging to fit it all in, but I’ve been blessed to work with an amazing leadership team that helps guide this incredibly valuable university to stay on mission.
Like most higher education institutions across the country, no one knew at the start of the Spring semester that we would find ourselves asking students to not return to the campus after the Spring Break week in March. The spread of the coronavirus pandemic was quick, and it caused our leadership to make some very hard decisions in a short period of time. Instead of taking Spring Break to reset and plan for closing out the semester, many Howard faculty spent the week learning how to transition their classes to an online learning format; and staff were asked to begin working from home. Despite the challenges, I am very proud of how we were able to rise to the occasion and pivot as needed to meet the needs of our campus community and the local community at large.
Howard University is at the forefront of the District of Columbia’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. I have been appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser to co-chair the Equity, Disparity Reduction, Vulnerable Populations Subcommittee for the ReOpen DC initiative and will share those learnings to assist with our campus planning. The District predicts we will experience a midsummer peak of COVID-19 infections. Based on medical projections, the city will need access to at least 1,000 more hospital beds. As a result, the mayor has asked all District hospitals to expand capacity and Howard University Hospital is adding hundreds of beds in short order. While the District government will underwrite this effort, additional funds from the University are required. This will be challenging, yet we understand the vital role HUH must play in saving lives. We are doing all we can to continue to safeguard our essential workforce with the necessary equipment they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.
We are proud to partner with Bank of America to manage a coronavirus testing facility in Wards 7 and 8, located at our clinic on Benning Road. With the alarming rate of COVID-19 cases in the African American community, and with the assistance of a $1M grant from Bank of America, we’ve repurposed our specialty clinic into a testing facility where free tests are available to local residents without a doctor’s prescription. In the few weeks of testing since opening, 20 percent of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 were not showing symptoms, which further reiterates the need for everyone to be tested in order to continue to properly address the spread of the virus.
Planning for Reopening The Campus
Recently, the entire cabinet leadership team and I had the pleasure of calling a list of various students, faculty and staff to personally thank them for their compassion, support and patience as we adapt to the circumstances around us. I had to convince a few people that it was really me and no, they were not in trouble! Our goal was to simply check in to see how everyone is doing and overall I believe our calls were well received. It was a joy to connect with so many of our students.
We have formed a Fall 2020 Preparation Committee, co-led by Dr. Anthony Wutoh, Provost, and Dr. Tashni-Ann Dubroy, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, which includes more than 120 representatives from the staff, student body, faculty, administrators, and local officials. The mission of this committee is to assess the many complex operational issues involved in re-opening the campus including testing requirements, social distancing, athletics, sanitation of the campus, housing assignments, the protection of high-risk individuals, and much more. We are planning for a best-case scenario that includes a campus reopen and face-to-face instruction in the Fall 2020 semester. In the event District officials do not relax or end social distancing policies, we will adjust and update the campus community accordingly. The most essential ingredient for our combined success will be patience. The prediction of a second wave of infections in the Fall demands that we build flexibility into our plans.
In conclusion, we are living in challenging times, but I find comfort in knowing that Howard University has endured trials and tribulations for 153 years and each time, she has risen to the occasion through the efforts of the dynamic students, faculty, staff and alumni. I am confident that if we work together, continue to look out for our neighbors and operate in love for our fellow human beings, we will get through this crisis with new vision, new unity and a new sense of communal good.
Excellence in Truth and Service,
Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA
Howard University President